Victor's recent trip through Xochimilco's canals

Victor recently visited Xochimilco to begin choosing where we will take samples from the canals. As mentioned in our map (see below), the use of the canals is different in different places. In the north there is a lot of organic farming on chinampas (green), but in the south, a lot of the land has been urbanized and settled (red).

 

You can see in this photo a very normal Xochimilco canal. The poles sticking out of the water are the supports for the chinampas, holding in the soil of the floating field. Cactus is growing in this chinampa to make nopales, a Mexican dish.

 

The next photo shows a very different situation. This part of the canal system is closer to the residential area of Xochimilco and suffers from pollution. An important indicator of high levels of phosphorous and other organic compounds in the water is an abundance of floating water lilies. You can see in this photo that the canal is almost totally choked off with them. This is what we want to prevent from happening in the rest of Xochimilco.

 

And a photo of a backyard on the canal.

 

Greenhouses accelerate growth of the crops.

 

This really is a beautiful place, and there is a lot here to protect!